Hi everyone! I am a beginner to DLSR and is having trouble deciding which camera that suit my needs. After a plenty of research and taken into account of my budget, it seems my options are open to either Canon 400D or Nikon 40X.

From the exterior point of view, I definitely like the look of the 400D. However, it seems that the D40X’s menu screen is more user friendly than the 400D, but the downside is that it only has a 3 focus points whereas the 400D has 9. Does it really make a big difference in terms of the quality of pictures if it only has 3 focus points?

I think 80% of the time I will use the camera for people pictures and others will be nature and landscapes.

Let’s say if I do decide to purchase the Canon 400D, should I purchase just the body or the kit set? A major reason why I wanted to purchase just the body is because the 18-55mm kit lens does not have anti-shake feature. Gordon had recommended the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM as an upgrade from the kit lens, however, I would like to know if there are any other brands with similar type of lens that maybe cheaper in price but is just as useful and have similar quality of pictures as the Canon 17-85mm.

There are times that I want to take some wide-angle shots (i.e. buildings, indoor, landscapes etc). Is the 17mm good enough for regular wide-angle pictures?

For the Canon 400D + Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM you will probably have to spend around EUR 1300.

Now, for that price, you might consider the Nikon D80 + Nikkor AF-S DX 18-70 F/3.5-4.5 IF ED. This is a nice combination, as the D80 is superior to the D40X, and the lens, although without image stabilisation (Nikon calls it vibration reduction) is of high quality. For this set, you will also have to spend around EUR 1300.

Do you really need image stabilisation? Notice that the Nikkor lens is faster.

My advice to you is: if you go for the Nikon, and have a budget of around the value I speculated, get the D80 instead, which is a more advanced camera than the D40X.

Thanks for the comments. If I do purchase the 400D, brand and type of lens would you recommend?

Is Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM a good choice? There are times that I want to take some wide-angle shots (i.e. buildings, indoor, landscapes etc). Is 17mm good enough for regular wide-angle pictures? The price of this lens is kind of too expensive for me. Are there any other comparable lenses which can fit into the Canon 400D? I think the IS feature is kind of important for me, but how bad is it in using the kit lens without the IS?

Hi Andrew, remember people lived without stabilisation on their cameras for decades! Well, over a century in fact! Stabilisation just lets you take photos of static subjects without blur at shutter speeds about 3 stops slower than normal - it's a fantastic feature, but not compulsory.

The 17-85mm is a great general purpose zoom for EF-S bodies, but if you want something wider, the 10-22mm is superb.